Galapagos giant tortoises face mosquito threat

Galapagos's giant tortoises are under threat from diseases such as avian malaria because local mosquitoes have developed a taste for reptile blood, it was claimed today. Scientist fear this, combined with a rise in tourism, could have a devastating effect on the island's wildlife. Dr Andrew Cunningham, from the Zoological Society of London, said: "The chance of a disease-carrying mosquito hitching a ride from the mainland on a plane is also increasing … if a new disease arrives via this route, the fear is that Galapagos's own mosquitoes would pick it up and spread it throughout the archipelago."